Ilya Fisher and Carolyn Abbott: Textile designers and friends who do the felting and specialised dyeing for Elena. Ilya was part of Fisher-Garcia with Elena for two years but is now concentrating in her eco-interiors range. Ilya is a shobori dye-resist artist. Carolyn is an experienced felt artist that has been trained by Elena and Ilya to make the jackets and camisoles.
Priyanka Bansal: Elena’s assistant. A clever and competent businesswoman from India who is in London, doing a course at the London College of Fashion. Priyanka has her own business in Delhi and would like to specialise in Fair Trade Manufacturing. She has brilliant personal skills as well as a thorough knowledge of textiles and production.
Mauricio Arcehelizaga: Mau is Elena’s graphic and web designer. He designs logos, promotional material and put the websites together as well as manages the content, www.maudesign.co.uk.
Pure Sauce PR: Vicki Day and Alice Smith are the directors behind Pure Sauce, a company that specialises in Fashion and Corporate PR. Elena works with them and their staff to plan promotional campaigns for Elena’s labels and various other projects she is involved in.
Yvonne Fuchs: Yvonne is an award winning branding specialist who works with Elena to develop the brand. She is a textile designer herself and coaches young art-based businesses in commercial strategies.
Priyanka Bansal: Elena’s assistant. A clever and competent businesswoman from India who is in London, doing a course at the London College of Fashion. Priyanka has her own business in Delhi and would like to specialise in Fair Trade Manufacturing. She has brilliant personal skills as well as a thorough knowledge of textiles and production.
Mauricio Arcehelizaga: Mau is Elena’s graphic and web designer. He designs logos, promotional material and put the websites together as well as manages the content, www.maudesign.co.uk.
Pure Sauce PR: Vicki Day and Alice Smith are the directors behind Pure Sauce, a company that specialises in Fashion and Corporate PR. Elena works with them and their staff to plan promotional campaigns for Elena’s labels and various other projects she is involved in.
Yvonne Fuchs: Yvonne is an award winning branding specialist who works with Elena to develop the brand. She is a textile designer herself and coaches young art-based businesses in commercial strategies.
GGS Fashions: Chris Korniotis is the director behind GGS Fashions, an award-winning production unit based in London who also do the production for Monsoon and FrostFrench amongst others. GGS do all the sampling, pattern development and production for Elena.
The HEBA Women’s Project: Social Enterprise Unit that provides education, childcare and sewing skills to local women in the Brick Lane area in London. They do the embroidery and cutwork.
Working Chance Community Project: Social Enterprise that provides work placements for women that come out of prison and helps them find employment. Elena is involved in helping them develop sewing skills and eventually create their own fashion label.
Udaya and Rosie Thapa: Nepal based couple who run a local manufacturing unit and share a passion for eco-fabrics with Elena. They work with 15 families and have an extended network of hundreds of craftspeople in the local villages. They are developing nettle yarn and hemp mixes for Elena, to sell in the luxury market. Elena has designed rugs for them and they are working on hemp and nettle knitwear for the label.
Prof. Derek McKelvye: Derek has been advising Elena since she was a student at the London College of Fashion. He is a well known figure in the world of textile Chemistry and has advised companies like Marks & Spencer and Patagonia and is one of the leading authorities in fabric processing.
London Apparel: Is an LDA institution that offers training, advice and production facilities to new designers in London. Their help is invaluable and without them, many young designers would not survive.
The HEBA Women’s Project: Social Enterprise Unit that provides education, childcare and sewing skills to local women in the Brick Lane area in London. They do the embroidery and cutwork.
Working Chance Community Project: Social Enterprise that provides work placements for women that come out of prison and helps them find employment. Elena is involved in helping them develop sewing skills and eventually create their own fashion label.
Udaya and Rosie Thapa: Nepal based couple who run a local manufacturing unit and share a passion for eco-fabrics with Elena. They work with 15 families and have an extended network of hundreds of craftspeople in the local villages. They are developing nettle yarn and hemp mixes for Elena, to sell in the luxury market. Elena has designed rugs for them and they are working on hemp and nettle knitwear for the label.
Prof. Derek McKelvye: Derek has been advising Elena since she was a student at the London College of Fashion. He is a well known figure in the world of textile Chemistry and has advised companies like Marks & Spencer and Patagonia and is one of the leading authorities in fabric processing.
London Apparel: Is an LDA institution that offers training, advice and production facilities to new designers in London. Their help is invaluable and without them, many young designers would not survive.
Annie Noble: Annie is a director with Enterprise Solutions, which is a community interest company that provides business support to small business in local communities. They specialise in supporting BAME groups, adults with learning disabilities, physical or mental disability, young people and other minority groups. Annie is helping Elena work on business strategies and develop the framework from which to operate her ventures. www.entsols.org
